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ROPE RAILWAY.

No. 264,413. Patented Sept. 12, 1882.

ATTEST Mouw-f TEHS, Phuwrrihagmpmr. wnshingmn, D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIcEa JOEL E. LonT AND ABEAHAM'K. GE'IM, lOE sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ROPE RA|LWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 264,413, dated.v September 12, 1882.

Y Application filed May 2, 1882. (No model.)

To all lwhom 'it may concern Be it known that we, JOEL B. LOW and ABRAHAM K. GRIM, both of Sanv Francisco, State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Rope Railways, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to certain improvements in the construction and operation of street-railways which have the motive power transmitted by an endless wire rope; and it consists in certain devices for automatically disengaging the car from the rope at certain points on the line-as, for instance, where a cross-rope line existsfor checking any retrograde movement ot' the car when so disengaged, and for preventing any damage to the rope in case'of accidental inoperation of the parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure Imis a side view of our automatic disengaging device or trip with automatic stop lever or latch. Fig. 2 is a plan of the parts needing to be thus shown. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a portion of a grip, illustrating the application of our safetyLspring behind the die or wearing-plate of the grip-jaw.

In the different figures the same letters re- Y fer to the same parts.

A is the floor of'a car; B, the carryingwheels; C, the-axles; and l) is the grip, which in the present case isa modified form of the one patented to Grim and Low August 16, 1881, No. 245,6a7. This grip is supported on the frame E, which rests on the axles.

F is the rope.

G is the channel-iron, which also represents in Fig. l the line ofthe surface of the road-bed.

H is a pulley set above the ordinary ropecarrying pulleys of the road, so that when the grip-jaws are opened the rope will be lifted out from between them.I

The grip is operated as follows: By the handwheel I the shaft J is turned, and with it the pinion K. This pinion K engages with the rack-gear L. This rack-gear is connected by the rod M to the rack-gear N. This in turn engages with the gear-wheel O upon thespindle P. On this spindle the eccentric Q, is secured, which, moving within the frame It, raises and lowers the bar S to open and close the gripjaws T, a more complete description of the grip itself being given in the beforenamed patent.

Upon the shaft J there is a ratchet-wheel, U, with a spring-pawl, V, o being the spring, connected between a projecting arm on the spindle c( of the pawl and the shaft J or other convenient anchorage.

Attached tothe end of the rack-gear N there is a spiral spring, W', one end of which is secured to the frame E.

X is a hinged lever hanging from the frame` E to within an inch or so ot the surface ofthe channel-iron G. This lever connects through the rod Y with a horizontal arm of the pawlspindle fv in such a manner as that when the hanging lever is swung back by coming in contact with the block Z, permanently set in the road-bed, as the car advances the pawlspindle will be turned sufciently to throw the pawl out of engagement with the ratchetwheel. spring W acts to draw back the rack-gear N, and the grip-jaws are opened and the rope released. At the same time the gong a. is struck, which is connected by a cord, b, to the lever X. The block Z is long enough to insure that the leverXWill be kept back a sufficient length of time to give an opportunity for the machinery to act.

A hook, c, with a taitpiece for a handle, is shown in Fig. l, which'connects the rack N with the spiral spring W. This is for the sake of convenience in hooking and unhooking this spring in removing and placing the grip.

r1 is our swinging latch to stop any backward motion of the car when the grip is opened and the car is proceeding up a grade. The latchispivoted underor upon the channel-iron. It has a` hooked back end with a beveled point, and a forward end bent at an angle, as shown in drawings, Fig. 2. When the grip-shank passes through the slot it strikes the back end, pushes it aside, and throws forward the other end across the path ofthe grip. The grip, still advancing, strikes this end, pushes it to one side,and returns the hooked end into the pathv ofthe grip to block its way if a retrograde movement should occur. This latch may be rigidly secured by a couple of rivets, and the natural spring ofthe lever between the fastening and the hooked point may be relied upon Immediately upon this operation the lIO to return the hook to the path ofthe grip when pushed aside. 1n this case the lever should be long enough to give the required spring, and the forward part might be dispensed with.

In Fig. 3 we show a piece of rubber, e, placed behind the wearing plate or die ot' the grit jaw. This is provided in case the latch d should be so misplaced as to block the progress ot' the car bcl'ore the grip-jaws were opened. Its effeet is to allow the rope to pull through the jaws instead of breaking or stranding it, the rubber yielding suliiciently for the purpose, though ordinarily it would hold sufficiently t0 draw the car. This rubber backing for the gripdies is also used to prevent the shock which occurs when a quick motion is given to the gripjaws in ret-.losing them after the obstruction is passed. The spring may b'e placed behind either or both dies.

The dotted line a: shows the ordinary level of the rope when not required to be lifted out lrom between the grip-jaws.

The block Z can be arranged under the challnel-iron instead of upon it,if desired, the parts being modilied to suit, and the lever X can be fitted with a little friction-roller at its lower end, if desired, to roll over the block Z instead of scraping over it.

What we claim as our invention, and desire i to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. 1n a rope railway having the rope carried underground and the gripping device passing through a narrow slot in the road-bed, the con1- bination, with the grippingdevice, of an automatic trip to open the jaws ot the grip at certain definite points in the line, substantially as herein described.

f 2. In a rope railway having the rope carried under ground, the combination of the lever X, attached to the underporton ofthe car, and the stationary block Z, placed permanently upon the road-bed, so as to form no material obstruction, as a means of obtaining a motion when they pass each other to automatically operate suitable machinery to open a gripping device to release the rope, substantially as herein described.

3. ln a rope railway, the combination of the lever X, block Z, rod Y, and pawl V, operating together as a means ot' releasing the lock upon the ratchet-wheel U to allow the spring W to act upon suitable machinery to open a gripping device, substantially as herein described.

4. ln a rope railway, the combination of the lever X, block Z, and gonga, operatin g together as a means of notifying the engineer of his arrival at a detnite point in the road, substantially as herein described.

5. In a rope railway having slot in road-bed, and grip-shank passingtherethrough, thelatch d, secured at side of said slot and vibrated horizontally by the passing grip-shank as a means of preventing retrograde movement of thc car, substantially as herein described.

JOEL B. LOV. ABRAHAM K. GRIM.

Witnesses: GEORGE PowDY,

J AMES L. DRUM. 

